Epidural Catheters Research Paper

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Pages: 7

Epidural catheters are a great way to provide pain relief in animals for extended periods of time. The drugs administered are usually used in a multimodal fashion. An opioid, typically morphine, will be used along with a local anesthetic like Bupivacaine or Lidocaine with a max dose of 6ml for each. When using morphine, the onset takes a bit longer (20-60 minutes), but has a longer duration of 6-24 hours. Since morphine takes longer to kick in, Bupivacaine or Lidocaine is used with it. Bupivacaine has an onset of about 20 minutes and lasts 4-6 hours, while Lidocaine has the quickest onset of 5-10 minutes, but only lasts 1-2 hours. The local anesthetic is ideal to have on board during the actual procedure since they block sensory, motor and pain receptors and by the time the procedure is over morphine may be the only drug on board. This would be a good thing since morphine causes pain relief without blocking motor receptors. In that case, the patient won’t feel pain and won’t lose motor function or have muscle weakness.
Epidural catheters are indicated in patients that are having extensive, painful surgeries and will need pain management for longer than 12-24 hours. An epidural catheter could be placed high enough to cause
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There is a chance of urine retention, which is more likely in the first 24 hours. The patient should be continuously monitored, the bladder manually expressed, or a urinary catheter placed if needed. Epidural hematomas and abscesses can form with incorrect placement of the needle or unsterile technique. Incorrect placement can also lead to another complication if the spinal cord is hit. There could be prolonged motor dysfunction or paralysis if the spinal cord is injured at any point during catheterization. Also, if the patient is only laying on one side the entire time, the constant pressure on those nerve can lead to prolonged motor dysfunction or